Mike's Excellent Adventure

[Gadzooks Mike]

Now that I've got a 16 tooth front sprocket installed and the needle shim mod completed, a gel seat pad for my "old man" butt, and the bike is broken in with 3500 miles, it's time for a road trip. So the end of June will find me heading north from Alabama to Michigan to watch a Tigers game, see a few "Muffler Men" (www.roadsideamerica.com), and basically have a time. I do plan on going through Hell (it's a city in Michigan) which means I will have gone through Hell to see the game, of course, and I will be in Hell on wheels and - well, all of the usual puns will fit here. In fact, one of my work mates told me to take a handbasket with me.... Anyway, the trip is roughly 2000 miles round trip and will take me through lots of small towns, as I'm using two-lane roads exclusively.

Now for the questions: I'm not going to be able to clean and lube the chain for about 1000 miles. Any problems with that? Anything I can do (wipe it off with a dry rag and lube it?) to help? It's summer, and way too hot for my leather jacket. But I'll need something on my arms to keep from cooking them while on the road all day. What sort of summer wear do you all ride with? How about gloves - full or half-fingers?

I'm sure to have more questions later, but I think that does it for now. But if there's something I didn't mention that you think I should know, feel free to yell. And for all the help, I'll make sure that I find a cold beer in Hell to drink to you all!

[Dupo]

First off, find a light weight long sleeve tshirt. That will keep the sun off your arms. You'll be moving so you'll be hot but not sweaty.

Don't wear fingerless gloves unless you want the ends of your fingers looking like pink sausages lol. Go and check into ICON gloves. I cannot remember the name of what i have, but find the black ICON gloves that have the skull head on them. They are light, have holes in the fingers and palm and work well in the heat. They run like 20 bucks. I use them and as soon as you get moving you can feel the air flow. When your hands sweat, just let lift your fingers off the grip and let some air in at the palm area. I see them at several bike shops in my area and also on ebay.

Carry and use sunblock for your neck!!! (and face if you wear anything less than a full face helmet)

Lube on the chain, just carry one of those small cans of lube with you. Rag it off and lube it up.

[jonathan180iq]

I know that the cruiser crownd doesn't like armor, but I ride with armor just about all the time.
I'd suggest a summer mesh motorcycle jacket with armor.

The one that I have came from Ebay. They are light weight, keep you cool, supply sufficient protection and they aren't too expensive.

Just do a search on Ebay for a mesh motorcycle jacket.

I got mine for $60 + shipping

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Gadzooks Mike

roughly 2000 miles round trip and will take me through lots of small towns, as I'm using two-lane roads exclusively.

Now for the questions: I'm not going to be able to clean and lube the chain for about 1000 miles.

What sort of summer wear do you all ride with? How about gloves - full or half-fingers?

What route do you intend to take? Might be passing my neck of the woods.

Just echo things already said:

No reason you can't wipe and lube the chain, every 500 miles or so. I went to a hobby store and got a 4 OZ plastic bottle with a pointed top. Put 90W in it and then put that in a small zip-lock (cause I don't trust the bottle to keep a seal).

You NEED to get a ventilated riding jacket (at the minimum). Long miles on unfamiliar roads increase the odds of an OOPS.....remember the deer !! I've got some vented riding gloves but they are black and still get hot and stay moist. Think I will get two matching batting gloves for the summer. Most of those are well vented and light color.

What's your take on the 16T "upgrade" ?

[Gadzooks Mike]

Thanks guys! Easyrider, I'm heading just about straight north from Opelika to east of Lansing, give or take. I plan on going through some scenic drives in north Alabama, passing west of Chattanooga, slightly west of Cookville, a tad east of Louisville, around Cincinnati, and north.

I actually have a mesh armor jacket with rain-proof liner and insulated liner (both removable) and I hate it. But you guys are right, that's really what I SHOULD be wearing. Maybe I'll convince myself within the next month before I leave.

As for the chain, I'll take a rag or two and by can of Blue Whatever-It's-Called and it should be OK. My wife (very smart lady, in spite of what I might say) spoke a truism - "Many people don't ever clean their chains like they should" and yup, she's right. It will wear out quicker, but with a good wipe and spray, it won't make enough difference, I don't believe.

Great idea with the batting gloves!! I hadn't thought of anything except bike/driving gloves at all. Thanks!!

[Gadzooks Mike]

Sorry, forgot to talk about the 16T - OUTSTANDING!! The engine sounds more - at peace with itself now while traveling around town. I've only had it out of town once since I installed it, and then for just a few minutes, but it sure feels nicer. Less vibration at 55-60 mph. Somebody once described the sound of a GZ250 as an "angry lawnmower" and he wasn't far off. Now there's enough gear to keep it from sounding so angry! I've only used a tad over a gallon of gas since then, and have not noticed a difference in mileage, but with that little bit of gas, it's difficult to tell anyway. I'm sure the highway will show a difference. 16T vs 15T is a difference of about 7-8%, so it should be pretty apparent on the road.

I plan on doing a quick 200 mile trip next weekend to visit a friend, and that will be a good shake-down for Mike's Excellent Adventure. When I get back, I'll do a thorough check of nuts and bolts, clean and lube the chain, etc., and get it all ready to go.

Now that I think about it, somebody was asking about how it looks with all the stickers removed. I did that, then put on some bling (chrome headlight hood with flags and eagles) and stuff like that. Looks fantastic!! Got all of that from JCWhitney for a really decent price.

[johncruise]

Hey Mike, how about some pictures with all the decals gone and with that headlight hood? How were you able to take off the stickers? Heatgun? Hairblower? <something>? Ride safe!

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Gadzooks Mike

Great idea with the batting gloves!! I hadn't thought of anything except bike/driving gloves at all. Thanks!!

Glad to be of service!

[Gadzooks Mike]

Johncruise - I'll take some pics and post later today if I get a chance. If not, I'll do it tomorrow. I took the stickers off using a hair dryer, and it only took a few seconds (10-15) to heat it up enough to pull them off. A bit of WS-40 took off the leftover glue.

Easy - I owe you a cold one!!

[Gadzooks Mike]

Ok, here's a pic, but not a good one, to show the detail.

http://upload8.postimage.org/543221/photo_hosting.html

The hood has a very nice eagle with flags, and it looks great, but it's better seen on the JCWhitney website. Same goes for the side badges. The "Live to Ride" badges on the saddle bags came out decent, though.